NEW YORK – The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released Spanish translation of its educational comic book, "A Story of Interest & Supervision!" as well as companion materials. With this release, all four of the New York Fed's whimsical comics about space travel, monetary policy, and economics are available in Spanish.
The comic series, written and illustrated by the New York Fed's Thomas Bayne and New Yorker cartoonist Paul Noth, follows the characters Flora, Glix and the mustachioed, four-eyed Rallo around the fictional universe, as they deal with bank runs, sing about the history of the Federal Reserve System, and help a robot friend improve his credit after his card is declined at a white-tablecloth restaurant in glamorous Sky City.
Print copies and downloads of the comic books, as well as lesson plans, an activity book, and an educational poster that go with them, are available free to educators and parents in English and Spanish here. The comic books and related materials are written for middle school and high school students.
The New York Fed released its first educational comic book in the 1950s. Since the 2017 relaunch of the comic books, about 250,000 comic books and related materials are in distribution.
"The candy-colored universe Thomas and Paul have created is a delightful – and effective – way to teach basic economic literacy, as well as more complex economic concepts," said David Erickson, head of the New York Fed's Outreach and Education function. "Ensuring that all the materials are available in Spanish is an important step in reaching every student we can."
In addition to the comic books, the New York Fed's economic education team has drafted worksheets and lesson plans on the flow of money and the economic impact of COVID-19, as well as the first in a planned series of Economist Spotlights, which aim to spark interest in economics as an area of study and possible career. The team also conducts the High School Fed Challenge, an academic paper competition in which teams of students act as future economists by researching and analyzing an important economic theme. The 2021 High School Fed Challenge will encourage students to research and write about economic inequality.
"The world of robots, green aliens, and galactic rock concerts pulls students in," Mr. Erickson said. "We're thrilled that Spanish speakers can now take this complete interstellar journey."
